Could Donald Trump become a New Jersey voter before the 2024 general election?
There’s some speculation that Trump is considering Marco Rubio as his running mate. Since both are residents of Florida, the 12th Amendment prevents a president and vice president from living in the same state.
So one of them would have to move before Election Day.
Trump has the option of moving to New Jersey, where he has a home at the Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster.
If he does that, he won’t necessarily incur a personal tax liability in New Jersey. Residents must spend more than 183 days in the state to be subject to the state income tax; that’s why many of the state’s snowbirds maintain a careful count of the number of days they spend in Florida. Florida has no state income tax.
Trump is unlikely to spend over 183 days in New Jersey this year.
Still, New Jersey tax laws are intricate, and switching residencies could trigger a claim by the state on Trump’s income.
“If New Jersey is your domicile, you are considered a resident for New Jersey tax purposes, unless: (1) you did not maintain a permanent home in New Jersey; (2) you maintained a permanent home outside New Jersey; and (3) you did not spend more than 30 days in New Jersey,” according to guidelines from the New Jersey Department of Treasury. “If New Jersey is not your domicile, you are only considered a resident if you maintain a permanent home and spend more than 183 days here.”
Under a millionaire’s tax pushed through the legislature by Gov. Phil Murphy in 2020, the state’s top earners pay a 10.75% state income tax.
If he wins the presidential election, he could then move back to Florida and avoid New Jersey’s taxes.
The deadline for Trump to register to vote in New Jersey is October 15.
New Jersey judges have consistently ruled that voters may register at an address even if they don’t live there full time.
In 2022, Superior Court Judge Michael O’Neill accepted election lawyer Scott Salmon’s Turkey Trot Defense: Salmon argued that a 33-year-old man who hadn’t lived in Lambertville since high school could still vote out of his parent’s home because his participation in a Thanksgiving weekend Turkey Trot run was evidence of his ties to the community.